Optical fiber connectors and splicing devices are an important part of substantially any optical fiber communication system. For instance, connectors or splicing devices may be used to join segments of fiber into longer lengths or to connect fiber to active devices such as radiation sources, detectors, or repeaters, or to passive devices such as switches or attenuators. Considering that a core of multimode optical fiber is 50 microns in diameter and that of single mode fiber is only 8 microns, achieving a proper connection or splice is no small task.
A particular optical fiber splicing device is disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 682,888 filed on Apr. 8, 1991, in the names of Aberson, et al., and which is assigned to the assignee of the instant application. The above-referenced patent application discloses an optical fiber splicing device which is described as a cleave, sleeve and leave-type (CSL) splicing device. In this particular splicing device, end portions of two optical fibers are caused to be disposed in a capillary tube with the center transmitting portions of the fiber exposed. A flexible metallic retention spring member, located in the center of the capillary tube, is folded over the spliced end portions to retain the spliced portions in engagement with each other. The connection is achieved while generating only minimal losses, thereby obviating the need for expensive precision alignment apparatus. Furthermore, the mechanical optical fiber splicing device disclosed in the above-referenced patent application does not require the involvement of curable material and allows visual inspection of the spliced end of the optical fibers.
Notwithstanding the benefits of existing optical fiber splicing devices, and specifically the particular splicing device described above, a tool which would allow any of the splicing devices to be reusable would be of considerable importance. At present, optical fiber splice connections are intentionally made to be permanent. However, due to various environmental and operational factors which may develop over time, there often exists a need to resplice some junctions within an optical fiber communication system. Unfortunately, a deficiency of the existing optical fiber splicing devices is that they generally are constructed so as to be capable of only one use. Therefore, a splicing device with a damaged or inadequate splice must be completely discarded and replaced with a new splicing device to correct any problems.
There are a variety of different reasons that an optical fiber splice connection may need to be replaced or reoriented. Many times, when the alignment or orientation of the spliced fibers are adversely affected, the loss associated with that junction becomes unacceptably high. Occasionally high splice losses may be caused by fiber eccentricity, poor cleave angles or improper splice assembly.
In view of the considerable expense and inconvenience caused by having to remove and replace any defective splice, regardless of the type or severity of damage, the search for a system which allows an optical fiber splicing device to be reenterable or reusable has continued. Sought after is a tool which may be used in association with existing splicing devices to enable certain types of problems which frequently occur with fiber splices to be correctable without having to discard the previously used splicing device. Also, the sought-after splice reentry tool should be relatively simple and easily operable in the field as well as rugged. Further, the sought-after means for achieving reusable splicing devices should be capable of working in association with existing splicing devices so as to not require special new equipment to resplice the fibers after the defects have been corrected.
What is desired and seemingly what is not available in the prior art is a relatively low cost tool means for allowing certain types of optical fiber splicing devices to be reenterable or reusable. The sought-after splice reentry tool should be one which is simplistic in structure, yet one which provides a reliable means for disengaging previously secured optical fiber splice connections in a manner which allows that optical fiber splicing connector to be reused.